09 November 2012
Methodist response to appointment of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury
Methodist leaders have welcomed the appointment of Justin Welby as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. In a statement Church leaders praised Welby for his 'spiritual depth and wisdom.' Bishop Welby's Methodist colleague in Durham, the Revd Ruth Gee, described him as a valued colleague and expressed her delight at his new appointment.
The full statements follow:
"Bishop Justin has demonstrated himself to be a man of spiritual
depth and wisdom. He has shown great passion and enthusiasm for
working together with other Churches and we look forward to working
with him in the context of the partnership between our two
Churches. His generous nature, and commitment to serving his
communities that have been so greatly valued in Durham will be a
huge blessing to the wider Church. We look forward to seeing his
leadership guide the Church of England in the coming years and will
keep him and his family in our prayers as he takes up this
significant global role."
The Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, President of the Methodist
Conference
Mr Michael King, Vice-President of the Methodist
Conference
The Revd Canon Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the
Methodist Church
"Bishop Justin is a deeply spiritual man who has been warmly
received by Christians here, not least because he has quickly
understood and related to their hopes and concerns. He has a heart
for ecumenism and enthusiasm for mission and I have valued him as a
colleague. I am delighted that he has been appointed as Archbishop
of Canterbury though sorry that he will be moving from the North
East so soon. We will be praying for him and for his family in this
time of change."
The Revd Ruth Gee, Chair of the Darlington Methodist
District